45th Anniversary Memory Project

2016 is an anniversary year for us: LLLGB will celebrate 45 years of La Leche League in Britain, and LLLI will celebrate its 60th birthday. As part of our anniversary celebrations we have begun to collect together images that reflect our history, our philosophy, the experience of mothering and breastfeeding over the years that will include the Leaders who have worked so hard for us during that time. Have you any images you could send us? From today, yesterday or years ago. They don’t have to be technically ‘good’ because that’s not really the point!

We hope that this appeal will bring in some photographs from years ago – ‘old-fashioned’ paper prints or even 35mm slides (remember them?). If you have prints which are too precious to part with you could take a digital image of them and send that in – it would be much appreciated. The odd crease or torn corner on a print won’t debar them from use either!

We will log everything you send in and treat these precious images with greatest respect. One outcome of the collection will be a short montage film of stills to be shown at our conference on the 15th October 2016; we will also use snatches of recorded speech and music and your suggestions for accompanying music are very welcome. The film will be freely available on our website and will be widely distributed.

While we are centring this memory project on still images we would be really interested to know if you have any video or film: digital video, old video tape, Super 8mm, sound tapes, anything that recorded what are now memories. At this stage please don’t send anything but please let us know so we can follow it up with you.

Despite the democracy of digital imagery that allows ‘everyone’ to share images through the internet it is still large enterprises with vested interests who command the mediascape. As LLL looks back over 60 years this memory project is part of our work to build and retain an historical record, literally, from your point of view. We hope you can help and I am always happy to talk or correspond with you about the project. I can be reached at memoryproject@laleche.org.uk.